Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny has talked up the importance of keeping Alexis Sanchez at the club beyond the end of the season.

Speculation over the Chilean's future has rumbled on throughout the current campaign due to the 28-year-old approaching the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Talks over an extension have so far proved fruitless, with Sanchez thought to be frustrated by Arsenal's struggles this season, but Koscielny believes that it is imperative for the club to keep hold of him.

"Firstly, [Sanchez] scored a lot of goals for us but his first job is not to be a striker, it is more midfield but he is an unbelievable player. He just wants to fight and have the best result for the club," he told Sky Sports News.

"Sometimes, he is disappointed with the result of our game but he knows that we just want to fight for each other and for the club. When you have a player like this in your team, to show the way we want to grow together, it is important and I think he has a lot of players behind him to keep him.

"I don't think there are a lot of players like him and a player like this who can be the difference during the game, it's rare. We want to keep him with us because we know he is so important for our team."

Sanchez has now scored 21 Premier League goals this season - the highest-scoring league campaign of his entire career.